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Come ride with me, says Sheed

February 21, 2018/0 Comments/in Media Releases /by Suzanna Sheed

Independent Member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed has invited the Victorian Treasurer to join her on a train journey on the Shepparton line in the lead up to this year’s state budget.

Ms Sheed called on Treasurer Tim Pallas to experience firsthand the sub-standard travel conditions her constituents face on a daily basis.

“Shepparton District needs a commitment from your Government in the next Victorian State Budget to provide the massive investment required to bring our line into the 21st Century,” Ms Sheed said in Parliament yesterday.

She said significant government investment in rail services and rolling stock for Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong and the Latrobe Valley had contributed to an increase in V/Line patronage of almost 90 per cent in the past 10 years.

“Not so many years ago, Bendigo’s rail service was not dissimilar to that faced by Shepparton today. It now enjoys 20 trains a day with high levels of patronage and the results for Bendigo speak for themselves,” Ms Sheed said.

“We are only 19km further from Melbourne than Bendigo, yet there are light years of difference between the quality of our services.

“We know if you build it, they will come. Demand in Shepparton continues to grow and surely it is now our turn.”

Ms Sheed said although there had been more investment in rail in the Shepparton District electorate since her election to Parliament in 2014 than ever before, community expectations were not being met.

“It gave us great hope but here we are, almost 10 months later, with no visible work underway,” Ms Sheed said.

“Momentum is being lost and faith in this Government’s ability to deliver rail services to Shepparton District that are worthy of the community is waning.

“The time for Band-Aid fixes is over. We need an exponential leap which can only be achieved with a massive funding investment that will rectify decades of neglect and an extraordinary lack of advocacy from previous representatives of my community.”

ENDS

 

Media contact

Riahn Smith 0419 138 978│riahn.smith@parliament.vic.gov.au

Click here for PDF version.

https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/default-post-image.jpg 240 330 Suzanna Sheed https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Sheed-Logo-V2.png Suzanna Sheed2018-02-21 04:56:222020-02-07 02:45:38Come ride with me, says Sheed

Sheed welcomes solar farm advisory panel

February 20, 2018/0 Comments/in Media Releases /by Suzanna Sheed

Independent Member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed has welcomed the Victorian Government’s decision to ‘call in’ four local planning applications for solar farms.

Minister for Planning Richard Wynne last week announced he would appoint an independent panel to assess the applications at Congupna, Lemnos, Tallygaroopna and Tatura East after Greater Shepparton City Council requested he step in.

Ms Sheed said while it was usually preferable for councils to determine planning applications in their own municipality, the complexity of assessing solar projects in agricultural districts called for additional support.

Ms Sheed said she had raised her concerns with the Minister and urged the Government to address the lack of relevant guidelines.

“While the Greater Shepparton area enjoys plentiful sunshine year round, making it an ideal location for solar farms, it is also home to the prime agricultural land at the heart of our economy,” Ms Sheed said.

“It is important that we find a balance between renewable energy investment and the sustainable future of our farming industry.

“An independent panel will bring welcome expertise to the decision-making process and enable all parties to be heard in an appropriate forum.”

Ms Sheed said she was pleased the panel would also provide broader advice on how future solar farm projects would be assessed in Victoria.

“Renewable energy is a rapidly growing sector and I expect we will see increasing numbers of applications for solar farms across the state,” Ms Sheed said.

“If you combine that with the significant proportion of land used for agricultural purposes, there will no doubt be other councils in Victoria facing similar challenges to ours.

“I would hope the findings of this expert panel will support all councils in setting region-specific planning strategies for solar farms for the benefit of their individual communities.”

ENDS 

 

Media contact

Riahn Smith 0419 138 978│riahn.smith@parliament.vic.gov.au

Click here for PDF version.

https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/default-post-image.jpg 240 330 Suzanna Sheed https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Sheed-Logo-V2.png Suzanna Sheed2018-02-20 01:39:192020-02-07 02:45:38Sheed welcomes solar farm advisory panel

Political stunt puts farmers’ futures at risk

February 15, 2018/0 Comments/in Media Releases /by Suzanna Sheed

Independent Member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed says yesterday’s political stunt by the federal opposition has put the future of regional communities in jeopardy and could force the failure of the Murray Darling Basin Plan.

Last night the federal Greens, Labor and Nick Xenophon Team parties voted to block an adjustment to the Northern Basin’s water recovery target.

Ms Sheed said while the move was expected, it was a significant blow to all Basin communities – including communities in South Australia, whose government lobbied for the adjustment to be disallowed.

“The Greens and Labor have been threatening to block the adjustment for some weeks, so the result comes as no surprise,” Ms Sheed said.

“Nevertheless, it is incredibly distressing for our regional communities to be placed in a situation of even greater uncertainty about our future than ever before.

“The Goulburn Murray Irrigation District Water Leadership Forum called for a pause in the Plan last November to allow time for the many reviews and inquiries to be completed and the serious issues of inadequate compliance, metering and inappropriate use of environmental water in the Northern Basin to be understood and resolved.

“The decision to forge on with the Plan at all costs has now resulted in what will inevitably be another period of chaos, while states and communities scramble to understand what this extraordinary deviation from the Plan means on the ground.”

Ms Sheed urged the federal opposition, and the South Australian government, not to risk further disruption to industry and community confidence by blocking the Southern Basin adjustment still before the Senate.

“The Victorian Government has said it wants to meet its obligations under the Basin Plan. Victoria has already done so much of the heavy lifting and is now on the home stretch,” Ms Sheed said.

“The 605GL worth of projects still under consideration will deliver important environmental outcomes without taking further water from the Victorian farmers who put food on all our tables, and I hope they will not be sabotaged in the same way.”

Ms Sheed said it was also troubling to see the Federal Liberal-National Government’s policy backflip on how much water the Plan needs to recover.

“The Plan we signed up to was a 2750GL plan. It has always been a 2750GL plan, with an additional 450GL for South Australia to be looked at only if neutral or positive socio-economic impacts for communities could be assured,” Ms Sheed said.

“Former Nationals’ Water Minister Barnaby Joyce was adamant this extra 450GL could not be achieved without seriously hurting river communities, yet now we have his replacement – the National Party’s David Littleproud – openly spruiking a 3200GL plan.

“Who is the National Party really representing if they are so willing to sell the livelihoods of Murray Darling Basin food producers down the river?”

 

ENDS

Media contact

Riahn Smith 0419 138 978│riahn.smith@parliament.vic.gov.au

Click here for PDF version.

https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/default-post-image.jpg 240 330 Suzanna Sheed https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Sheed-Logo-V2.png Suzanna Sheed2018-02-15 06:29:442020-02-07 02:45:38Political stunt puts farmers’ futures at risk

Black spots in Shepparton District must be a priority

February 7, 2018/0 Comments/in Media Releases /by Suzanna Sheed

Independent Member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed says the welfare of local communities could be at risk if mobile black spot areas are not addressed.

Ms Sheed said the lack of mobile phone reception in towns such as Katunga and Katandra West, and along the Murray River, was a safety issue and needs to be addressed by the Victorian Government as a priority.

The Victorian Government announced in January it had abandoned the Commonwealth Mobile Black Spot Program in favour of its own system, pledging to spend $11m building new mobile towers across regional Victoria.

Ms Sheed she had raised her concerns about the poor local coverage in Parliament.

“This has been an issue for my constituents for a long time,” Ms Sheed said.

“There was some hope that coverage would improve for Katunga when the town was listed as a priority area under the Commonwealth scheme and I would hope it remains a priority for this Victorian Government.

“Katandra West also faces inadequate reception and in 2018 this is just not acceptable.

“Mobile phone coverage should not be a luxury. I and many of my constituents hold grave concerns about what the poor coverage could mean in an emergency when vital safety information cannot be relayed – particularly along the Murray River during peak summer camping periods.

“Today during Question Time I asked the Government to advise what action would be taken to appropriately assess and improve the lack of mobile phone coverage in the Shepparton District electorate and to ensure our communities receive the service they deserve.”

ENDS

Media contact

Riahn Smith 0419 138 978│riahn.smith@parliament.vic.gov.au

Click here for PDF version.

https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/default-post-image.jpg 240 330 Suzanna Sheed https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Sheed-Logo-V2.png Suzanna Sheed2018-02-07 06:19:292020-02-07 02:45:37Black spots in Shepparton District must be a priority

Sheed puts Shepparton CFA on Minister’s agenda

February 1, 2018/0 Comments/in Media Releases /by Suzanna Sheed

Independent Member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed says she welcomes the opportunity to meet with Emergency Services Minister James Merlino this month to discuss ongoing issues with the construction of a new Shepparton fire station.

Ms Sheed invited the Minister to meet with representatives from the Shepparton Fire Brigade last week following a meeting with Shepparton CFA chief Peter Dedman.

Ms Sheed said although funding had already been allocated to build a new fire station and several potential sites identified, progress on the project had stalled.

“There has been an agreement for some time that Shepparton needs a new fire station but the Shepparton Fire Brigade has been faced with continual hurdles in finding an appropriate location,” Ms Sheed said.

“This is an important project for the city and these issues must be resolved at the earliest opportunity.

“It is highly undesirable that construction be delayed any further when in all other respects it is ready to go and I will be urging the Minister to do what he can to facilitate this.”

Mr Merlino has confirmed he will meet with Ms Sheed and Mr Dedman in Shepparton this month.

ENDS

Media contact

Riahn Smith 0419 138 978│riahn.smith@parliament.vic.gov.au

Click here for PDF version.

https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/default-post-image.jpg 240 330 Suzanna Sheed https://suzannasheed.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Sheed-Logo-V2.png Suzanna Sheed2018-02-01 04:15:162020-02-07 02:45:33Sheed puts Shepparton CFA on Minister’s agenda

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5 Vaughan Street, Shepparton
T 03 5831 6944
E suzanna.sheed@parliament.vic.gov.au

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5 Vaughan Street, Shepparton
T 03 5831 6944   F 03 5831 6836
E suzanna.sheed@parliament.vic.gov.au

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